


Mind My Wicked Words

by orphan_account



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Angst, Fake AH Crew, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, fem!Jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 03:12:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4505472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan sat awake in the spare room he’d basically claimed in Geoff's house. He scrunched his hands, and then relaxed them, repeating the motion over and over and over. It was too much. He couldn’t think about anything else.</p><p>They’ve seen his face.</p><p>They know what he looks like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mind My Wicked Words

                The door of the safe house flew open, six bodies hurriedly entering in an uproar of cheering after an especially exhilarating heist. They crowded into the small living room and practically collapsed on the two couches, save Geoff, who stood in front of his boys. He waited a moment to allow their chattering to die down a bit.

He clapped his hand, an adrenaline fueled grin plastered to his face. “Congratulations on yet another successful heist.” He began. “Now I know I don’t say this very often, but I want you to know I’m a very lucky man to have met you all-”

“Aw Geoffrey, I’m touched.”  Gavin cooed.

“-Except you, Gavin. You are the biggest piece of shit I have ever met and never fail to disappoint me.”   That earned a _damn son!_ From Michael. Geoff paused to chuckle. “I’m kidding. But seriously, you’re all the salt of the earth. And I couldn’t imagine committing felons with anyone other group of assholes. Not only that, but you guys make me a hell of a lot wealthier, which is what really count. And after today we’re each ten thousand dollars richer.” He clapped his hands together, “That’s enough praise for at least six months, now who’s ready to get drunk?”

Another bout of cheering erupted from Jack, Gavin, and Michael who followed Geoff into the kitchen, leaving only Ray and Ryan. Ray sighed and reached for the remote, idly glancing at Ryan. The man in question lay sprawled out on the now empty couch. He seemed like he was asleep, but Ray couldn’t tell with that _god damned_ mask covering his face. Creepy bastard’s never took it off around the others. Real inconvenient at four in the morning when you have to pee, only to have it all scared out of you when you find him standing in the middle of the hallway like in some creepy ass horror game. Not that Ray would know anything about that. No sir. That would have been super awkward for both parties. And even if it _had_ , they probably would have agreed to never speak of it. But luckily nothing like that has ever occurred.

He shrugged and brought his attention back to the television and began idly flickering through the channels, finding nothing of interest. The report on their heist wouldn’t be broadcasted for another hour or so. He groaned and turned towards the direction of the kitchen. “Hey Michael!” he shouted, “Wanna bring me a sprite?”

“Get off your lazy ass and come get it!” Was the response.

“ _Get off your lazy ass and get it.”_ He repeated in a mocking tone as he pushed himself off the seat. “Ryan, want me to get you a diet coke while I’m at it?” Ryan grunted in response. “Was that a yes?” He asked. After a silent pause he scoffed. “What am I saying? Of course it was a yes.” He shuffled into the kitchen where the others were surrounding the island that contained an array of alcohol.  Gavin must have been well on his way to getting pass-out drunk, because he was currently wearing that Christmas elf hat he had made Jack promise to never wear again. He could tell they were all going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow.

Ray rolled his eyes, a slight smile on his face. Even if he didn’t see the appeal of drinking, the aftermath was pretty fucking funny, for him at least. Ryan probably got a laugh out of it- maybe. He bent down and opened the refrigerator, scanning the shelves and grabbing two cans. He stood up, paused, and crouched back down to grab a chocolate pudding cup. Satisfied, he shut the fridge and grabbed a spoon.

Jack turned from her spot as Ray passed her. “Diet coke for Ryan?” She questioned, seemingly more sober than the other three who didn’t even notice he had entered the kitchen.

“Yup.”

“No wonder the poor guy doesn’t seem get much sleep.” She remarked. “He lives off those.”

“You said it sister. Y’know, I don’t think he’s had a single sip of water for years.” Ray joked.

Jack lightly shoved him, “Shut up, smartass.”

The shove made him stumble slightly. He composed himself with an indignant mumble and continued back into the living room. Ray noted Ryan was now sitting up- stiffly might he add and looking straight ahead at nothing, which would have raised a red flag if it was anyone besides Ryan. He may be adjusted to life with a crew, but he still had his moments.

Ray returned to his spot, setting the sprite and pudding down. “Hey Ryan.” He wasn’t sure if the older had seen him return. He was very jumpy when he spaced out. When the black skull mask was facing him he continued. “Here’s your coke…. Are you okay?”

Ryan’s breathing had become ragged and uneven. “Peachy.” He choked out.

He hummed skeptically. “You don’t seem peachy. In fact you seem the exact—Ooh my god that’s not normal.” Where Ryan sat a dark red was seeping out from under him. “Okay dude. Unless there’s something you aren’t telling me…”

Ryan tried to scoff, but instead groaned in pain and grabbed his side.

“Okay, shit. Uh-“ He hurried over to the man. He unzipped the dark grey jacket, surprisingly without any protest. His heart sunk and the lighthearted atmosphere vanished when he saw the entire left side of Ryan’s shirt was soaked in blood. “What the fuck Ryan!” He cried. “Why didn’t you say anything? When did this happen?”

They usually had an ‘always have a bulletproof vest’ policy. They knew Ryan had been running low, but they all assumed he had had time to get a new one by the time of the heist.

 

Boy were they wrong.

 

“When I pushed Gavin into cover.” He answered, pain laced in his voice. “I was kind of in-“ He groaned. “-and out of consciousness, so it never really came up.” A pause. “It’s just a graze.” He assured.

Another wave of pain emitted from the wound. “ _Fuck-_ A deep graze.”

“You _dumbass_!” He emphasized, pressing a pillow to the wound. In hindsight, he probably should have used something else, but Ryan’s leather jacket wouldn’t do jack shit and- dying friend or not- Ray wasn’t ruining his favorite hoodie.  He cursed, heart pounding in his chest. “Geoff, Jack- Someone!”

Hearing the panic in Ray’s voice, Geoff rushed into the living room, Jack right on his tail and Michael and Gavin trailing after. “What?! What’s wrong?!”  He shouted.

“It’s Ryan!” Before he could even explain, Jack was right beside him.

 “Jesus Christ…” She murmured while examining the wound. “Michael, get me the supplies Caleb left us.”  Michael nodded and ran deeper into the house to fetch what she needed. In the mean time, Ryan’s breaths had become shorter and shorter. “Ryan, honey we’re going to need to remove the mask.”

Everyone's hearts collectively skipped a beat.

Ryan vigorously shook his head. “-m fine.”

She sighed, “Please don’t be difficult, you’re going to suffocate yourself. The mask needs to go.”

He didn’t respond.

“Now.”

The seriousness in her tone made him realize he had no choice, but he still hesitated as his hand gripped where his mask met his neck.

“Ryan!” Jack exclaimed.

He whipped it off in one swift movement, long blonde hair falling around his neck. He took a needy breath, sucking in the air he had been denied by the mask.

A moment later Michael returned, not even acknowledging Ryan’s lack of skull face. Jack thanked him and began working, first applying a more sufficient cloth to the wound. The room was silent as they waited in suspense, save Ryan’s heavy breathing.

The atmosphere could be cut with a knife.

Once she was sure the bleeding had subdued, Jack reached for a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. “This will probably hurt.” She warned. The man stiffened, preparing himself.

The pain was worse than he’d anticipated and agonizing screams was ripped out of him. Geoff watched sadly while Ray and Michael turned away, unable to stand the sight.  Gavin had to leave and hurried off into one of the spare bedrooms. He sat on the bed, clutching his ears, desperately trying to block out the harrowing cries that echoed throughout the house. Drunk or not, they just didn’t seem right to him.

 

Not from Ryan.

 

Jack hushed him soothingly. “You’re doing good Rye. Just let it all out, it’s almost over.”

“Give him some painkillers!” Ray begged.

Michael looked at him sadly, “There weren’t any left.” He answered barely louder than a whisper.

No one dared to breathe as Ryan’s screams died down as he finally gave in, passing out from the pain.  Jack let out a sigh as she continued to work. After applying gauze and carefully wrapping his waist in a thin layer of bandage she closed her eyes and leaned back onto the coffee table.

“Is he going to be alright?” Geoff demanded.

She opened her eyes to look at him. “Yes.”

He nodded and turned his attention to Ryan, unmasked and still twisted in pain. 

No one could deny he was handsome. despite the sweat clinging the hair to his head and a smudge of red that they _prayed_ was facepaint.

“At least we finally get to see his face.” Ray quipped noncommittally.

Geoff sighed, “I just- I don’t know.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “It doesn’t feel right.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

___

 

Ryan didn’t wake up until well into the next afternoon.  He tried sitting up but winced in pain. Not feeling up for trying again, he laid back down. He observed he was still on the couch and-

 

_No_

 

His hands flew to his face. He felt a nose, ears, and eyes. “Fuck!” he shouted, nails digging into his cheeks. Because they’ve seen- They’ve seen his face. They know what he looks like.

 

He felt naked.

 

However the pain was still too much and he drifted out again. That’s how it was for the next few days. He’d slip in and out of consciousness, people would try to talk to him but he wouldn’t respond or would give short answers that didn’t make sense. Caleb showed up a couple times and tried to get him to take something once in a while, but he was already out again before they could even coax him to sit up. He idly remembered a prick on his shoulder and pain in his side as it was forcefully closed up by Caleb's skilled hand. One thing that stood out was the smell of perfume. It was evident almost the whole time. Later he’d find out Jack had watched over him almost the entire time.

It wasn’t until nearly four days later that he was finally able to collect his thoughts. His eyes flew open and his head whipped to the side, eyes landing on a bottle of painkillers, a glass of water, the forgotten diet coke, and _his mask._ He made a grab for the familiar skull shape and immediately shoved it over his face. He lifted it slightly to uncover his mouth, a pit forming in his stomach.

_Why didn’t he think about doing that?_

He dismissed the thought. The deed’s been done and there was nothing to do to change it.

 

…Well, that wasn’t entirely true. However Ryan had taken a liking to the Fake AH Crew and he didn’t want to kill them- at least not yet.

He then reached for the painkillers, swallowing a tad more than what’s considered healthy and taking a sip of the water. That was a little difficult and he admittedly spilt more than he should have onto himself. Not bothering to pull his mask back down, he let the pill take effect, taking the time to listen for the others.

Nothing. He was alone. 

His anxiety and pain died down when the pills finally kicked in and he felt contempt- and numb. He hasn’t felt like that for a while, forgot how good it felt. He sat up just as the door opened.  He turned and watched Geoff enter and sit next to him. Neither spoke for a while as Geoff stared straight ahead, a haunted look on his face.

He finally spoke, startling Ryan. “Everyone’s gone back to the pent house already.”

Ryan opted to stay silent, slightly fidgeting and rubbing the spot where his wound was.

“You really scared me, you know.” He conceded.

Ryan turned his gaze to his feet, no longer interested in Geoff’s expression.

A dry, humorless laugh was emitted from the crime lord, “Not to mention the couch is ruined.”

The silence returned and Ryan felt like a child being scolded. “Seriously though, never _ever_ pull that shit again. You’re not immortal.”

“Okay.”

He turned his head and huffed. “And after all that you’re going to keep the mask? Don’t you trust us?”

He hesitated, “… Yes.”

“Yes you want to keep the mask or yes you trust us?” He pressed.

“Mm. Both.”

An exasperated sigh. “Whatever. Let’s go.”

They were about to leave when Geoff eyed the bandages. “Holy shit! Ryan!”

Ryan frowned and looked down to find blood seeping through. He felt lightheaded. “Huh.”

“Doesn’t that hurt?!”

Ryan shrugged, “Nah. Took some painkillers.”

“How many?!”

He lifted three fingers, one at a time, then contemplated it responding, “…Eight.”

Geoff grasped Ryan’s shoulders, “Eight?! Oh my god Ryan, how are you still conscious?”

The man shrugged again, a smile on his face. “Dunno.”

Geoff didn’t say anything else, just ushered Ryan into his car. Ryan held his hand out and stared expectantly at the tattooed man. Geoff lightly laughed and gave the man his hand.  He hadn’t even driven another five minutes before he heard small snores coming from the younger. His grip on Ryan’s hand tightened as he continued on the road.

At some point his phone went off. He answered using Bluetooth. “Hello?”

“It’s Jack. Did you get him?”

“Yeah. When I got there he was fucking high on painkillers.”

He heard Jack curse under her breath. “Okay. Caleb’s here to checkthe stiches again when you guys get back.”

“Got it.”

He pulled into the garage and turned the engine off. Ryan was still asleep and didn’t seem like he’d be happy to be bothered. “Alright buddy, hang tight. I’m going to grab Caleb.” He rolled the windows down and waited for the elevator. The door opened with a _ding_ , revealing Ray and the two nodded in acknowledgement.

Ray headed over to one of the motorcycles and revved the engine, waking Ryan in the process. Ray only ever left the penthouse to go to sleep. Everyone knew what it meant if Ray went home during the middle of the day. Ryan sat up. “Ray!”

The younger turned his head.

Ryan unbuckled himself and stumbled over to him. “Let me come with you.”

“What?”

“Let me come with you.” He repeated. “Please.”

Ray glanced at the elevator. “Caleb’s here to see you.”

“So?”

“Go make sure all your shit’s in place and maybe you can come next time.”

Despite his weak protest, Ryan agreed. He headed up to the penthouse and was met with a lecture from Caleb. Nothing he hasn’t heard before. They gave him a new bottle of painkillers and made sure to tell everybody to monitor him when he takes them. They also made sure Jack had all the right items to treat the wound so it didn’t get infected. After making sure no one else was hiding any serious injuries, she began to pack up. “You owe me extra for this, Ramsey.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get paid.”

“You better hope so.”

 

___

 

That night, after the high of the painkillers had worn off; Ryan sat awake in the spare room he’d basically claimed in Geoff's house. Gavin liked to think of it as Geoff taking in a stray. The mask hung on the support of the bed along with his jacket. On the table side was a glass of water, painkillers locked in Geoff’s bathroom. He scrunched his hands, and then relaxed them, repeating the motion over and over and over. It was too much. He couldn’t think about anything else.

 

They’ve seen his face.

 

They know what he looks like. ~~~~

He’d been so good, hid for so long. Probably a new personal record. However this opened up a whole new can of worms. There were too many possibilities. The information might get out, it always does, and old enemies could find him and try to get to him through them. Or they could sell him out.

No, they’d never do that. He was sure of it.

 

…Right? 

 

 They weren’t the first to see his face, but they were the first to connect it to his alias- The Vagabond.

He was either The Vagabond or Ryan Haywood.

 

Not both.

 

Never both.

 

He slammed a fist to the wall. _Fuck them!_ He couldn’t take this, feeling trapped in his own room.

They know what he looks like.

They can’t be trusted.

“But I do trust them.”

Be prepared for the worst.

“It’ll never come to that.” He assured himself.

It might. You’ve been there, you’ve done it before.

“ _No!”_ he asserted louder than he intended. “No, it’s different.”

I’d be so easy; they would never suspect their own attack dog would turn on them.

“I wouldn’t”

You would.

 

 _Monster_.

 

The door cracked open, making Ryan squint at the sudden stream of light. Geoff poked his head in. “You okay, buddy?”

He nodded, “Yeah- …yeah.” He wasn’t sure if that second ‘yeah’ was to convince Geoff or himself.

Geoff hesitated. “Alright. Do you need anything?”

“Mm, nope. Thanks, Geoff.”

He gave Ryan a fond smile and replied “No problem.” Before shutting the door.

Ryan flopped down onto his bed. This isn’t going to work. He couldn’t take the chance. They were so kind to him, fussing so much over a _fucking graze_ while he sat here thinking of doing such wicked things to them.

 

He couldn’t take this.

 

He couldn’t take this _place_.

 

He shot up, tossing the covers aside, and changing into regular clothes, gun tucked into his waistband. His hand hovered over his signature outfit, but decided against it.

He wouldn’t be long.

 

He just needed some space.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Gooey" by Glass Animals
> 
> Please tell me if there were any stand out errors!
> 
> \---
> 
> Fun Fact: This was originally going to be about Ray but I switched it up about half way because the direction of the story fit Ryan a little better (definately not because i am ryan haywood trash psh what)


End file.
